Forgive

Ephesians 4:32 – 5:2 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
People hurt people. It's likely that in the past you've been wounded by a thoughtless remark, an uncaring attitude, or an action motivated by selfish ambition. Or perhaps you've been scarred by something more significant. Perhaps your spouse cheated or just left. Perhaps your best friend betrayed your confidence. Perhaps you were abused or mistreated.
Forgiving those who have wounded us deeply is difficult and necessary. Matthew 6:14 says, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

A forgiving attitude begins with a little perspective. Look what the Bible says about Jesus:
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:3–6)

He suffered the most unimaginable pain: His wounds were not figurative. He was insulted, mocked, beaten to the bone, stripped, and crucified. The Son of God was handled with such recklessness. He was a King tortured like criminal, a Savior treated like a slave. And yet He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

The person who has hurt you doesn't deserve to be forgiven. But then again, none of us deserve to be forgiven. But Jesus forgave completely. We are commanded to imitate God. We must forgive completely.

Giving

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